Tag Archives: 1 John 2:23

A big part of knowing you are saved is knowing persecution for your faith is about the Father, Son and Spirit in you.

How often are we stereotyped as Christians? How often is that stereotyping negative. How often are Christians labeled as misogynists, homophobes and chauvinists. Christians are often considered less intellectually astute because we believe in a young earth, creation and the flood. As we consider how the world attempts to marginalize and discredit Christians, we should always remember what Jesus taught his disciples in John 15:23-24 – all affronts to individual believers is an affront to Jesus and an affront to the Father as well. 1 John 2:23 makes this more clear where the scripture teaches whoever denies the Jesus also denies God the Father.

Christian, take heart. If you are persecuted for your faith, if you are derided because you proclaim Christ, if your character is impugned because you live differently than those around you, your mental acuity is considered discredited because you trust in the Bible take heart; you are in good company. In my book starting on page 117 we find these reflections:

Biblical belief is based not just in an intellectual affirmation and agreement as our form of the word indicates. Biblical belief carries the connotation that communicates, a resting in or a dependence upon the object of belief. The biblical definition expresses a complete trusting in or reliance upon for sustenance, existence and life. Our belief is therefore laying our dependence for our eternal life upon the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. In this, you have salvation. In this, you admit Jesus is living with God the Father in Heaven. In this, we acknowledge the virgin birth; in this, we acknowledge His vicarious atonement for our sin. In this, we confess His resurrection to defeat death and Hell. In confessing that there is an existing Son of God, you confess that He lives, has the power to save you from sin and that He did exactly that at Calvary. (Knowing you are saved, pp 117-118)

The biblical belief required for salvation through Christ also gives us direct access to the Father in Heaven. For instance, when we pray we pray to the Father through the Son, there is no other way to reach His heavenly throne. When we request wisdom, we request it from the Father and our request goes through the Son. When we ask God to forgive us our sins, we ask the Father’s forgiveness through the Son (1 Jhn 1:9).

When we read John 10:30, we also recognize that every action we take through Christ then is through the Father, every request we make to the Father is to the Son. Every prayer answered, every strength bolstered, every miracle performed by the Father is performed by the Son. We should also add that the Holy Spirit is equally one with the Father and Son. When we receive more faith through prayer, it is provided by and through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Luk 17:5). Since the three are one, denying any one, denies all. Believe in the three in one, or you believe in nothing. That is why you will equally suffer persecutions as Jesus suffered them. Natural man does not want God in his life and will fight vehemently to deny Him.

One god is not about God. One god is all about self. This belief actually admits limited intellectual and spiritual abilities. It says I may not be right, so I better be inclusive. In other words, “I” don’t know what “I” believe or why “I” believe it therefore, “I” have to be inclusive.

John 14:7 has always been a challenging verse for man to submit too. Man realizes that if he truly believes, especially Jesus final phrase, then he must be somewhat dogmatic. Man does not like being dogmatic, unless he likes the dogma. Resting in the truth of God incarnate is difficult mostly because it makes us aware that God may have standards, He may limit access to His kingdom, He may have requirements, He may not be interested in our defining Him, He may not be as open to allowing everyone before Him because of what they think individually, He may not respect our thoughts on what He might do, worst of all we might not be able to define God’s design for ourselves.

The statement, “no one comes unto the Father but by me” is definitive, final, dogmatic, absolute, unwavering, without ability to alternatively analyze or contemplate. There is only one path to God the Father, that is through the Son. There are more scriptures that tell how zealous the Father himself is about this truth.

You can think what you want, but God is God and your thoughts about who He should be and how He should act do not change Him (Is 55:8-9). Just as we can deny truth in our lives, denying eternal truths will not affect the truth itself. This denial will however affect our lives eternally.

The fact is that God the Father wants us to focus upon His Son. Neither the Father, nor the Holy Spirit went through the trials and challenges, neither were tempted in all ways like we are, neither suffered the cross, neither left their heavenly abode to live here and experience man’s challenges. Both the Father and the Holy Spirit have great respect for the Son’s personal sacrifice from the moment He left Heaven. I also wrote about this in an article titled, “A Story.” Where people are uncomfortable with truth, they insult those whom may have to live, or have lived, through those truths. They also insult anyone honored and even saved by those truths. Where politicians take credit for the heroism of first responders is simply reprehensible. This is the same thing people do when they deny Christ to say they are God and they individually determine their entrance into Heaven or the entrance of others. (1 John 2:23)

Ultimately, man is afraid to commit because he knows he does not have all the answers. But the answers are available to us in the scriptures. They reveal God to us. God is clear, He alone makes rules for Him. Just follow them, and trust Christ to help you do so. (Matt 19:26)

2017 Vacation Bible School

Hosted by Pastor Tim Silcott 7-11 August. Come join us all.

Knowing You Are Saved

Pastor Tim's new book describes great assurances of salvation in 1 John. Every Christian wonders at some point if they are saved. John writes in vibrant, personal and intimate terms exactly how we can know we are saved.